The controversy over the Central News Agency's (CNA) reports last weekend about the kickback scandal involving the procurement of six Lafayette-class frigates from France in 1991 highlighted, among many other things, the awkward role the Government Information Office (GIO) has in this country.
The controversy began when a CNA reporter had said on Saturday that a US$400 million commission paid by France for the Lafayette purchase had been forwarded to the "secretary-general of the party in power" at the time. Since PFP Chairman James Soong (
In the aftermath of the controversy, PFP lawmakers had demanded that GIO Director-General Yeh Kuo-hsing (
It cannot be denied that during the martial-law era, the GIO played an all-important role in suppressing speech and press freedoms and in enforcing censorship. Without any question, during those days, all members of the media succumbed to the power of the GIO.
But, over the years, especially since the change in ruling parties, the authority and functions of the GIO have been significantly reduced. Having been stripped of the role of Executive Yuan spokesperson, the top GIO position lost much more than just the kind of power deserving of frequent TV appearances. Eventually the GIO is expected to officially fade into history and its duties distributed among other government units and agencies. Knowing only too well its own awkward position and constantly being reminded of the days it played a censorship role, the GIO has never kept such a low profile.
It's no wonder Yeh got all worked up when confronted with demands to apologize on the behalf of the CNA. After all, the passage of the CNA Status Act (
The only plausible reason that the opposition lawmakers may have for bringing GIO into the picture is to suggest that the government is behind it all. In other words, that the alleged translation mistake was no mistake at all but part of a government conspiracy to blacken Soong's reputation and diminish the pan-blue camp's chances of winning the next presidential election. That is really stretching things.
The ironic thing is that around the same time the pan-blue hawks were condemning the DPP for demanding Soong apologize for his actions as GIO chief during the Kaohsiung Incident over two decades ago. If Yeh needs to apologize for a mere translation mistake made by the CNA, a mistake for which the CNA has already apologized, then just imagine, in his mind, how many human-rights transgressions Soong must make before he needs to say sorry.
Finally, all the fuss about the translation mistake is diverting attention and energy from what is really important -- finding out just who was involved in the Lafayette kickbacks and where the money went.
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